Free, On-Farm Community Dinner in Newport

NEWPORT — Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) is teaming up with Smitty’s Farm in Newport, as part of their On-Farm Community Dinner series.

The evening will feature a free dinner that uses Vermont seasonal produce and brings together community members for a celebration of local agriculture and the season’s harvest.

Taking place on Friday, October 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Smitty’s Farm located at 1292 North Derby Road in Newport, the On-Farm Community Dinner is free and open to the public.

The meal will be prepared on the GMFTS Lunchbox food truck and the menu will feature berries from Smitty’s Farm along with other seasonal produce from surrounding, local farmers.

Community members attending the event will also get a chance to explore the farm through a family-friendly activity that will give them an up-close of a small, Vermont farm.

“We’re bringing together community members and farmers to celebrate the season’s harvest over a delicious meal,” says Becca Mitchell, consumer education coordinator with GMFTS. “The Northeast Kingdom is full of great farmers and amazing, local food and we want to show that off to the community.”

This year marks the fourth year that GMFTS has partnered with local farms for the On-Farm Community Dinner series. The series was created to raise awareness about the abundance of local, healthy food available in the Northeast Kingdom and to cultivate relationships between communities and the area’s farmers.

The events have been held all over the NEK including Joe’s Brook Farm in St. Johnsbury, Peace of Earth Farm in Albany, and Harvest Hill Farm in Hardwick to name a few.

“Everyone wins when communities support their small, local farmers,” says Katherine Sims, executive director of GMFTS. “Residents are eating tasty, healthy foods, farms are taking advantage of new market opportunities, and it’s creating a shared sense of community.”